Head coach Robert de Pauw, who will leave Leverkusen at the end of the season alongside captain Elisa Senß, is aware of the emotional significance of this game. “Every player has to know what it means to walk out in the derby against Köln with the Bayer Cross on their chest. It’s one of the most important games of the year,” said the Dutchman. “We need to go into the game with an especially big emotiveness and passion. I want to see that in the challenges.” The 1-0 win in the reverse fixture in Cologne will serve as a good lesson for that. “That gave us a lot of confidence. We want to see that feeling again,” stressed de Pauw, who added: “I also want to remain unbeaten in derbies during my time at Leverkusen.”
He doesn’t want his impending departure at the end of the season to be a factor in the remaining games. “It doesn’t change much for me. The motivation to get the most out of the season is still huge. We’re in fifth place and want to remain there at the very least. That was our goal before the season,” de Pauw stated. The belief in that objective remains big after the recent goalless draw away at Freiburg where the team lacked “finesse in the final third”. “I have great confidence in the team that we can do it. The best players will continue to play every week.”
De Pauw believes that Köln, who are ninth in the table with 14 points, will be confident after their 2-1 win over Werder Bremen at the larger RheinEnergieStadion, but also stressed: “They can still feel the pressure in the relegation battle below and will come here motivated. De Pauw and his team want to put up resistance against the opposition’s “very busy” attack with January signing Carlotta Wamser by using “Bayer 04 style”.
The women will then face Essen away from home on Sunday, 24 March (6.30pm) before the international break. “The league’s final straight begins after the break. We need to create a good position for ourselves in the games against Köln and in Essen. They will be two heated fixtures,” concluded de Pauw.
Tickets for the derby at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion are available to buy HERE in the online shop or on the gate on Monday.
From the 2027/28 season, the Women’s Bundesliga will be organised by an independent league association. Following the unanimous decision taken at the DFB Bundestag (national conference) on Friday afternoon, the league’s separation from the DFB is now official.
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Following the Bundesliga clash against RB Leipzig (Sunday, 20 September, 15:30 CEST), some of the Werkself first team players will be heading off for the first international break of the season. Here is an overview of the Bayer 04 players called up for their national teams and all the details of their upcoming matches.
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A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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